Advancing International Cooperation under the Global Digital Compact
By Danish
Bridging the global digital divide in new and emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, will require developing countries to strongly leverage international cooperation to build digital skills, knowledge and gain access to these technologies which can accelerate their digital transformation and sustainable development. This emphasis on international cooperation is also deeply embedded in the Global Digital Compact, which was adopted as part of the Pact for the Future. This paper therefore looks at how international cooperation modalities have been included in the GDC across the different issue areas, how developing countries are already engaging with the GDC through their national initiatives, and provides some useful considerations going forward.
Will the Global Digital Compact ensure an equitable future for Developing Countries?
By Daniel Uribe
The Global Digital Compact (GDC), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2024, aims to establish a framework for equitable digital transformation, particularly for developing countries. While the GDC acknowledges the importance of human rights, bridging the digital divide, and ensuring a just transition, it faces significant challenges in addressing structural inequalities and implementing robust accountability mechanisms. This paper examines the GDC’s potential to foster an inclusive digital future, highlighting the necessity of addressing fundamental rights, promoting business accountability through a legally binding instrument, and recognising the interconnectedness of digital inclusion with access to essential resources like energy, education, and healthcare.
As the World Trade Organization (WTO) marks its 30th anniversary, Director-General (DG) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has called for a reflection process to assess the organisation’s achievements and chart its future. For developing countries, this reflection presents a significant opportunity. A well-managed process could begin to address the structural imbalances embedded in WTO rules that constrain policy space, limit technology access, and restrict development pathways. Conversely, a poorly handled approach risks reducing it to a narrow review that fails to account for the broader economic realities shaping trade and the persistent development needs of the Global South. This paper argues that the DG’s reflection process must be firmly member-driven, with clear governance principles, and rooted in a comprehensive development audit to assess how WTO rules have impacted developing countries over the past three decades. The paper contends that a meaningful reflection requires more than procedural introspection; it requires a serious conversation about the future of global trade governance and its relevance to development, ensuring that the WTO’s evolution genuinely responds to the priorities of its majority membership.
The South Centre carries out multiple activities to support developing countries with policy-oriented research, inputs and advice for negotiations and capacity building. The Report summarizes the South Centre’s activities in 2024 and highlights the contexts in which they were conducted as well as the objectives that were pursued with their implementation.
Statement by the South Centre to the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge
South Centre is participating in the textual based negotiations in WIPO on the protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions this week at IGC50 chaired by DPR of Brazil, Erika Watanabe Patriota. International rules are needed to protect the interests of indigenous and local communities and prevent misappropriation.
This paper argues that the global capitalist economy has been and is built on the monopolization of advanced technological knowledge through trade secrets and intellectual property rights protection, controlled by companies and countries of the Global North. Companies and countries in the Global South use commoditized knowledge or knowledge in the commons. In the colonial period this was largely confined to the production of agricultural commodities and now to carry out the bulk of production functions. This division of knowledge and the difference in returns to monopolized knowledge and knowledge in the commons drives global inequality. The paper points out that countries of the Global South that moved out of the middle-income trap did so by advancing from just using knowledge to also creating knowledge. Finally, it argues that there is a need to reform the system of intellectual property rights in order to promote inclusion and not exclusion.
Inputs to Inform the Thematic Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change to the Human Rights Council 59th session
South Centre
February 2025
The South Centre calls for a Just Transition away from fossil fuels, centering the rights of marginalized communities & the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
Will the Pact for the Future Advance a Common Global Agenda on the Challenges Facing Humanity?
By Viviana Munoz Tellez, Danish, Abdul Muheet Chowdhary, Nirmalya Syam, Daniel Uribe
At a time when multilateralism is needed more than ever to address the global challenges and rising geopolitical tensions, paradoxically, the capacity and delegated power of the United Nations (UN) to uphold a rule-based order to keep peace and security is being weakened. Even in an increasingly multipolar world, a retreat towards unilateralism by world powers masked as national sovereignty is dangerous and highly unfavourable for developing countries. In this light, the United Nations Pact for the Future, a new forward-looking agenda of commitments adopted by consensus by UN Member States in September 2024, is a welcome initiative. The Pact for the Future, nonetheless, is short in delivering commitments on transformative changes in global governance and solutions to the most pressing global challenges. This document briefly examines some of the actions and high-level commitments in the Pact of the Future to strengthen multilateral cooperation and provides recommendations for their implementation.
Lessons from COVID-19: Strengthening Antimicrobial Stewardship Prior and During Pandemics
By Dr Rasha Abdelsalam Elshenawy
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a complex impact on the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). While increased antibiotic misuse and disrupted antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs exacerbated AMR in some settings, heightened awareness and improved infection prevention measures implemented to control COVID-19 provided valuable lessons on sustaining these practices in the fight against AMR. This brief highlights lessons learned from the pandemic, such as the importance of access to antimicrobials and the urgent need for resilient and sustainable AMS integrated into pandemic preparedness, strengthening infection prevention and surveillance systems, enhancing access and use of diagnostics, and promoting a One Health approach. By leveraging these lessons, policymakers can build more resilient health systems, maintain the effectiveness of antimicrobials and be better prepared for future pandemics, particularly in developing countries. Immediate action is essential to protect public health and combat AMR effectively.
Inputs to the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development Study on Climate Justice, Sustainability, and the Right to Development
February 2025
The South Centre inputs to the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development Study on Climate Justice, Sustainability, and the Right to Development makes a call for upholding Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDRRC) in ensuring a just transition, protecting the human rights of the most affected populations and reforming Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms that threaten climate action.
The Riyadh Design Law Treaty: Harmonizing Global Design Procedures with Mixed Implications
By Nirmalya Syam
The Riyadh Design Law Treaty (DLT), adopted on November 22, 2024, aims to harmonize and simplify the global registration procedures for industrial designs. By standardizing procedural requirements across jurisdictions, the treaty seeks to create a more predictable and accessible system for designers, particularly benefiting small-scale designers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the DLT can have implications for developing countries, as many lack significant design-intensive industries. Key provisions in the DLT include a 12-month grace period, deferred publication, divisional applications, and the option to require disclosures regarding traditional knowledge and cultural expressions used in a design. While the treaty enhances global design protection, concerns persist regarding its impact on local designers, market competition, and procedural fairness. The immediate advantages of the DLT for developing countries are limited, highlighting the need for continued technical assistance and capacity-building efforts.
